


Vulnerable

by seanbw



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Depression, Gen, Grief, Sad Aang, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:08:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29611959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seanbw/pseuds/seanbw
Summary: After the battle of Yu Dao, Aang is left with feelings of inadequacy and chooses to deal with them in a very dark manner. His friends pick up the pieces.
Relationships: Aang & The Gaang (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar)
Kudos: 12
Collections: Kataang Discord Collection





	Vulnerable

**Author's Note:**

> Graphic self harm warning. Don't read if you get triggered. Takes place post The Promise.

The lounge was full of laughter, after Zuko had woken up from his stress-induced coma. Everyone was reaquainting themselves with each other. It had been a while since Team Avatar had been together. Katara and Sokka's father was there too.

Usually, Aang revelled in these meetings and conversations, but tonight he just felt dejected, obsolete. He felt as if he was still living a century ago, trying to force past ideals on a world that had clearly moved on since then. It was scary and overwhelming. Too much to deal with. If only I could just let the next Avatar take charge...

He dwelled on these thoughts, not uncommon in the past few weeks. Maybe he could let the next Avatar take charge. He was deep in thought now, hoping his friends would mistake his reclusiveness for fatigue.

When he left for his bedroom, he was thinking about finally getting around to what his mind had been telling him for weeks now, letting the dark thoughts consume him in his solitude.

Katara watched her boyfriend leave the main lounge of the Jasmine Dragon, headed for his room. While they often shared a room and bed, Iroh had insisted that there were enough rooms for each individual.

She had noticed Aang acting a bit more secluded than was normal for him, but chalked it up to the hectic week he had just had. After finally getting around to a solution to the political problem Yu Dao had been having, she thought he might just be needing some decent rest.

After spending a little more time with her friends, catching up and sharing stories, she decided it might be a good idea to check up on Aang and say goodnight, maybe snuggle for a while.

Katara loved being able to say goodnight to someone she cared so much about. It was something so simple she could do at the end of the day but it meant so much. Or rather, she did have someone to say goodnight to.

She knocked on her boyfriend's room but recieved no answer. Assuming he was asleep, she pushed open the door expecting to find him on the bed. What she wasn't expecting, however, was her boyfriend lying very unconcious and face-down on the hard wooden floor, an open and half-empty vial next to him.

The vial was labelled with the name of a metallic poison. It dawned on her what was going on. It took her a moment to realise, she had never thought Aang was even capable of thinking about suicide. He was thirteen. Remembering Toph's capabilities as a metalbender, she yelled her name as loud as she could.

"Spirits, Sugar Queen, what is it?! Wait... theres another faint heartbeat in here... is that Aang's? Katara what-"

"He ingested some metallic poison! I don't even know why, I think he meant to... to harm himself."

Toph was speechless, her facial features void of their usual energetic looks, but somehow found the words to say next. "Katara I don't know if I'm gonna be able to get rid of it... It sounds like I'd need to know some waterbending moves for this."

"You've seen enough of Aang and I... y-you have to try."

Toph sighed, shakily. She could feel the metal in him. Kneeling down, she felt the push and pull of the liquid and tried her best to gather it up, and then brought it up the oesophagus and out of his mouth and poured it into the vial. The process made Aang cough a little, which in turn made Katara breath a sigh of relief.

In truth, she wasn't mad at him. She had been there before, even as a child, when her mother was killed. She just wished he could've trusted her enough to tell her about how he felt. She was also a little disappointed in herself. How could I have not seen the signs? The entire night, he hadn't really been talking to anyone, he was acting as if he was an intorvert. But there was more, from weeks before. He would often have a sad, longing look on his face, wishing to go back to a time when he didn't know he was the Avatar. When he had the Air Nomads. She also knew that Aang didn't do this to hurt her, or that he didn't value her. But the thought that she might not be so important to him still lingered.

She spent a couple of hours in that room, checking to make sure his body was fine and that the poison did no lasting damage. She didn't want to face her friends, or her father right now anyway. She was afraid she would just break in front of them, just like last time. Thankfully, Toph quietly volunteered to go out and break the news.

Despite Toph's usual forwardness, she found herself stuttering as she spoke to the entire group, in the beginning not even making sense. It only worried them further, seeing Toph so shaken up. Their eyes widened as they pieced together Toph's broken speech.

Everyone called it an early night after that, and went to their respective rooms. Except for Katara of course, who slept beside Aang that night, her hand on his chest to feel his heartbeat.

Her night wasn't all that peaceful. A lot of it was spent crying. She felt terrible knowing that her boyfriend felt so broken, he thought he should end it all. That she could've lost him, if she hadn't checked up on him.

The morning came around surprisingly quickly, and she was surprised to see Sokka enter the room to tell her he made her breakfast and that she needed to get out of the room for a bit. It was just sunrise, and she was wondering why her brother was even awake so early, until she caught a familiar look in his eyes. They were bloodshot and it was evident he had been doing some crying as well. Aang was family to him, and seeing him like that for a second time, at his own hands must've broken him.

Her father was next to walk in. Although he never got much of a chance to get to know his daughters boyfriend, he did know he was a good kid and made Katara happier than she'd been in a long time. He was no stranger to the kind of grief Aang had, and he pitied him. Aang was such a positive, good natured person. He was the last person who deserved this kind of pain. His daugher too.

Katara ate the breakfast her brother prepared for her in silence. No one was really willing to speak. So, she made sure to finish her meal quickly, and headed back to Aang's room.

She found him sitting up on the bed, fists curled up and pressed into the mattress, and head hanging in shame. It broke her seeing him like this, a shell of himself. It was even worse than seeing him unconcious. His pain was written clearly all over him in his body language. He was no longer able to hide it.

She walked up to him, and crouched down in front of him. They looked deep into each others eyes. She caressed his cheek softly. He wasn't smiling like he usually was. His expressions showed only pure sadness and grief. Katara desperately wanted the fun-loving boy she loved to show himself, but was also relieved. She was the only person he could be vulnerable with, after weeks of acting strong for his friend's sake. Tears began to well in both of their eyes, as Aang once again looked away in shame. Then, he suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace. She could feel him shaking as he cried.'

When they finally pulled away from each other, Katara decided to voide her thoughts.

"Aang." She said, "I can't pretend that I'm not sad or disappointed you couldn't confide in me before... but I do understand." Aang just started at her. He hadn't said anything yet, but he would listen. Katara continued, trembling a little, "Losing my mother was not a great experience. E-even as a child, a-a goddamn eight year old, I would sometimes think about just wandering out into the tundra with the full intent of not coming back. It was a selfish way of thinking, especially when my Dad left and I had an important caretaker role in the tribe. But when you came along, you made me happier than I'd ever been before. I can't let anyone, not even yourself take that away from me. I-I can't pretend your pain doesn't exist, but please, for me, just stick around okay? I couldn't do this without you."

Aang just continued staring at her before once again letting his tears fall, reminding himself he was only thirteen years old, why would he even think about this?

He hugged her again, tighter than last time. "For you" he said. "For you." He loved hugging his girlfriend. She could always make him feel better. While this kind of pain wasn't the kind to just disappear with a hug, he knew that as long as he, too, had his significant other, it would be okay. He would be strong and vulnerable for her.


End file.
